Perforated rubber or plastic floor mats are useful for providing a safe, high friction surface for people and other traffic moving in damp conditions. This is accomplished by keeping the feet of pedestrians above a damp or particulate-rich, cold, encumbered or otherwise slippery floor.
Normally the upper surface of the floor mat is constituted by a number of narrow, parallel plastic or rubber strips or ribs, often separated by a distance approximately the same size as the width of an individual strip. Often such strips or ribs have anti-skid corrugations on their top surfaces to provide a high friction walking surface.
However, in many cases, the anti-skid corrugations on the top surfaces of the upper portion of the floor mat can create additional hazards. For example, the corrugations may hold particulate matter to the surface of the mat rendering the mat far more slippery than a mat with a smooth upper surface. Also, it has been discovered through use that corrugated surfaces do not exhibit as much friction as that provided by flat mats.
This is especially critical with thin mats, which have a tendency to slide when subjected to lateral or horizontal forces caused by traffic. Such forces also tend to pull mat sections away from each other further exacerbating the problem of mat movement. Thus, many thin mats allow hazardous conditions to occur by moving along the floor supporting the mat, even if the traffic across the mat interfaces on relatively slip free surface of the mat.
On the other hand, thicker matting may serve as a trap for high heeled shoes to small casters or wheels of vehicles. Also, the thicker matting (usually ½″ inch or more in thickness) is much more difficult to deploy and remove than thinner matting.
The lower portion of a conventional floor mat usually consists of two series of roughly parallel, spaced strips crossing each other at substantially perpendicular directions, and connected together to provide rectangular perforations through the floor mat so that the floor or support surface upon which the mat is laid can easily dry out. Mud and dirt are cleaned from the feet of the users by friction with the upper edge of the mat surface to fall through the perforations to the floor upon which the mat is laid. Such mats are most often used in the lobbies of public buildings, and in damp work situations to keep the feet of workers above a damp floor which can easily become very slick with moisture or debris. The principal purpose of such mats is to enhance the safety of workers or pedestrians passing over a particular surface.
In some cases it is desirable to cover an entire surface of a fairly large area with matting. Since the matting can be fairly heavy or thick, it is often difficult to remove it in order to clean the floor, especially if the mat is in a single large piece. If, on the other hand, the mat is made up of a number of smaller pieces loosely laid on the floor, it is difficult to keep them properly connected and aligned. This is especially true if the floor tends to become slippery when wet, or if the nature of the traffic over the mat is such as to cause horizontal lateral stress along a plane parallel to the floor. As a result of such stress, the mat sections may move about creating a hazardous situation, as well as an unsightly appearance.
A number of systems have been proposed to hold floor mat section together. The best-known technique is to use small sections of matting that are glued to each other. However, in this system it is very difficult to remove the matting without breaking the glue bonds and causing damage to the matting. If the glue bonds are sufficiently strong that the mat portions holds together, then the previously-mentioned problems of dealing with large, heavy mats occur.
Another solution has been the use of connecting devices permanently affixed to the floor, and having projecting connecting portions, such as prongs. These are generally known as dog ears, and are forced over the ribs of the floor mats to secure the matting to the floor. However conventional systems using this technique have been hampered by difficulties in attaching and detaching the mat sections to each other and the floor.
Another system for holding mats together is found in U.S. Pat. No. 3,703,059 to Kessler, dated Nov. 21, 1972, and incorporated herein by reference. This system discloses a system for interlocking small floor mats at their edges to provide a single large mat which can be treated as a unit if desired. The system accommodates removal of small floor mat sections for cleaning, as well as replacement of selected floor mat sections. This is accomplished using plastic connectors having locking portions which fit into apertures in the floor mat, and engage both the upper and lower strips or ribs of the mat to lock the mat sections together.
Despite the advantages of the system disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,703,059, substantial problems with the assembly of large mat configurations still exist. The connectors of the Kessler system can be difficult to install so that easy mat alignment will also be difficult. Another factor occurs when long lengths of floor matting are assembled. Traffic along the length of the floor mat creates stresses which tend to pull the mat sections apart, even with the conventional locking system. Further, the locking splines of the Kessler system are subject to rolling allowing the floor mats to separate when certain stresses (caused by traffic) are applied to it. This is further exacerbated by the fact that there are substantial portions of adjoining floor mat sections that are not directly connected by the locking splines. Thus, high levels of traffic, or increased speeds of the traffic, as well as local high stress conditions (such as those caused by high heeled shoes or extremely heavy individuals) can cause mat destabilization and separation.
Another solution to the aforementioned problems associated with floor mats is the use of recessed areas formed in the floor to contain the floor mats. Generally, the recessed areas are sized so that the floor mats are located with their edges against the edges of the recessed area thereby preventing the floor mats from sliding when subject to traffic. Ideally, water, snow, liquid detergent, granulated detergent, auto oil, granulated products, and other debris from the sources of traffic pass through the perforations in the mat to keep the top surface of the mat free of standing water and other hazards. Since the top surface of the mat is generally flush with the surrounding surfaces, the mat does not constitute an obstruction. This is especially important when using relatively thick or rigid mats.
While such conventional mat arrangements are adequate for many purposes, there are certain drawbacks. First the building owner or user must plan for the installation of these mats and have the recessed area built into the floor during construction of the building. As a result, additional burdens are created in the planning of the building. In the alternative, the recessed areas can be dug out of the floor after the building has been constructed. However, such operations entail a great deal of expense to the building owner or user. Further, even when a recessed area has been provided to hold the floor mats, extemely large mats may still be moved within the recessed area, possibly causing unsafe conditions.
Another approach includes the use of continuous lengths of matting arranged in roles. However, the rolled matting can be cumbersome to move for cleaning, etc. Also, conventional connections between large sections of matting are often difficult to easily install or disconnect. Consequently, in conjunction with the weight of the matting, awkward conventional connector usually make the deployment and the removal of large sections of matting a long and arduous process.
One approach to the problem of heavy and awkward rolls of matting is to use thinner matting material (generally in the range of 0.25 inch or less). However, one drawback with matting thin enough to be easily rolled is the tendency to be substantially deformed by local stress such as that caused by high heeled shoes, extremely heavy individuals or heavily loaded carts with small casters. Because of the flexibility of thin, conventional, rollable matting, it is common for high heeled shoes to cause deformation of the matting and become stuck in the perforations. As a result, thin, conventional, rollable matting may create additional safety hazards even as it is addressing the usual problems of installing and removing large rolls of matting.
Also, by avoiding the complications of floor recesses dedicated to hold floor matting, another disadvantage occurs. The edge of the floor matting is often constituted by a 90° step, which can constitute a hazard to pedestrian traffic, as well as providing some difficulty for heavy small wheeled vehicles or other vehicles with casters. Conventional solutions to the problem are awkward and add a level of complexity, making deployment and removal of the matting even more complex.
Thus the conventional art does not adequately address all the difficulties of deploying and removing substantial amounts of floor matting.